In the Rain
by L. Elizabeth1
Summary: this is a story set during Order of the Phoenix. Harry and Dumbledore find an interesting new person who may have the key to ending the war for once and for all. own character fic


A woman ran through the streets of London, soaked to the bone from the pouring rain around her. Her left arm was branded with His mark, but it was Him that she was running away from. She completed her mission, but it all seemed to go terribly wrong… just a little farther.

She heard the screams behind her, knew they were gaining on her but she couldn't turn around. She had no wand, no allies save one, and if she didn't reach him; it would have all been for nothing. This pushed her to run faster.

She sprinted the last two blocks to the Leaky Caldron, through the door and up the stairs. The man was waiting for her, looking distressed. If she got caught with him, then his information to the other side would be halted.

"Three days… you have three days." She panted. He said nothing, only handed her a wand to escape.

With a 'pop' she landed in Hogsmead and continued her running to the Shrieking Shack. Dust flew around her as she forced her legs forward up into the house and dived for the portkey as the Death Eaters burst through the door.

Twenty years later….

Harry Potter flew around the Quiddich pitch, looking for the Snitch. Ravenclaw was up by two- hundred points, and Gryffindor had already lost its keeper and a chaser to injury. Finally he saw what he was looking for, being chased by the Ravenclaw seeker. He dived and joined the fight for the win…

"That was a brilliant catch Harry!" Ron patted him on the back as they bounded to the common room with the other players. Harry was beaming, he loved being a wizard. The common room was crowded and noisy, there was butterbeer to be drunk and stolen goodies from the kitchen to be eaten. Just as the celebrations began to take off, Professor McGonagall quietly slipped in to take Harry to see Professor Dumbledore.

"What is going on, Professor?" Harry asked as they were climbing the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

"That is between you and Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Potter." She said quickly and pushed him gently to the door before turning and leaving down the stairs. Since the summer, Dumbledore had been acting strangely; this would be the first time speaking with him since last year when Cedric was killed. He knocked at the door and was beckoned in.

"Harry, please sit down." Dumbledore said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Harry sat and waited for his Headmaster to speak. "As you know, the ministry has been making quite a fuss about denying Voldemort's return." Harry nodded, he knew all about it. The Daily Prophet was making Dumbledore and himself look like a couple of loonies, and it didn't help that Professor Umbridge was giving him detentions for even thinking to loudly about the subject. He rubbed the back of his hand absently.

"I know you wanted to spend Christmas holiday with your godfather and friends, but I was hoping you would take a couple of days with me on a trip?" Harry sat up a little straighter.

"Where would we be going, Professor?" Harry asked, not bothering to mask the excitement in his voice. He was still angry with Dumbledore for ignoring him for so long, but the chance to go out and do some work to stop Voldemort pushed aside that anger for the moment.

"Oh the specifics are not important at the moment, Harry. We will leave directly from Grimmauld Place the day after you arrive, is that okay?" Harry nodded, not liking the idea of being in the dark again, but still excited about the trip.

"Wonderful! Then we will see each other in two days from now." Dumbledore smiled and Harry took his cue to leave.

With Harry gone, Dumbledore twisted the memory he was holding around in its glass container. He knew it would be risky to take Harry with him, but if who he was looking for was truly the person he was looking for; having Harry might be an advantage.

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Two days went by quickly, with Hermione and Ron pestering him to no end to reveal every detail of his meeting with Dumbledore.

"I have already told you, I don't now where we are going." Harry said for the hundredth time.

"He must have given some kind of clue…" Hermione said puzzled, trying to replay Harry's story over and over again in her head.

"Look, when I get back from where ever it is that I am going, you two will be the first to know. Okay?" Harry only got frustrated looks back and decided to give up.

"You all ready then?" Sirius asked coming up behind Ron.

"Yeah, Dumbledore said that we would only be gone a couple of days, so hopefully we will be back in time for Christmas." Harry said hopefully. He would hate to miss his first Christmas with Sirius.

"Oh don't you worry about that. You are going on a mission for the Order as I hear it! I couldn't be more proud of you." Sirius said with a genuine smile. Harry felt the weight being lifted from his chest and moved forward to hug his godfather.

"Harry dear, Professor Dumbledore is here for you." Molly said coming around the corner. She didn't look at all pleased that Harry would be going on a mission. As far as she was concerned, he was still a boy and need only worry about things that boys his age should worry about.

Harry followed Mrs. Weasley to the living area where Dumbledore was waiting. He looked tired and full of worry, but smiled when Harry came into the room.

"Ah Harry! Are we ready then?" Harry nodded a 'yes sir' and walked up next to him. "Very good, very good. We will be traveling by portkey to London and then hopping a plane from there." He explained while he was setting up an old shoe as a portkey.

"Plane sir? That seems… well…"

"Mugglish? That is the intention Harry. With the ministry watching mine and your every move, I thought it would be best if we flew under their radar for a bit." Sirius rolled his eyes at the bad pun while the Weasley twins laughed. "At least some people enjoy my humor." Dumbledore smiled at the twins. "Now Harry, if you will." They both grabbed a hold of the portkey and were pulled to the airport in London. Dumbledore handed Harry a flask of a suspiciously familiar liquid while Dumbledore disillusioned them.

"Polyjuice potion?" he asked.

"Just want to be sure we aren't going to be followed. This should last for about twenty-four hours. Professor Moody made it for our purpose. Go on now Harry." Harry held his breath and drank the foul liquid down in three gulps as Dumbledore did the same. Harry was transformed into a tall blonde middle aged muggle with a long handlebar mustache, while Dumbledore was transformed into a teenage boy with blonde hair and freckles. Dumbledore transformed their clothes to match their disguises and took two passports along with tickets and handed them to Harry.

"Come along _Dad_, we don't want to miss our flight." Dumbledore winked. Harry laughed and looked for the gate matching the number on his ticket. They walked over to the gate and sat by the window. Having a better look at his passport, he found that his name was Galvin McNall and he was from Austin, Texas. Glancing over at Dumbledores' passport, he saw a picture of the same freckled kid sitting next to him with the name 'John McNall' written on it.

"Shouldn't this be reversed, shouldn't you be the father?" Harry laughed quietly.

"Oh now, don't deny me a chance to explore my youth again." He responded slyly. "You must work on your Texan accent in case someone gets curious on the plane."

"Howdy partner!" Harry said with his best John Wayne voice, trying hard to keep a straight face. He looked on his ticket and noticed for the first time where they were going. "We are going to the States?" Harry whispered excitedly.

"Yes, a town called Friendship in the State of Ohio. There is someone there whom I am interested in meeting." Galvin and John McNall boarded the plane with no hassle and had a quiet flight to Cincinnati, where they rented a car that Dumbledore had bewitched to drive them to Friendship. By the time they reached the Town of Friendship, their disguises had worn off and they relied on disillusionment to make it around unnoticed.

"Where are we going sir?" Harry asked as the car began to slow in a residential area. Dumbledore didn't answer, but soon the car came to a halt and the engine cut off. They both looked out the window at the small house they were parked in front of. The mailbox had the name 'West' printed on it and there was a small ford car parked in the driveway.

Dumbledore exited the car, and Harry followed. They walked up the drive and once they reached the door, Dumbledore rang the buzzer.

A muffled 'just a minute' came from the other side of the door, and after a moment the door swung open to reveal a young woman with long wavy dark hair and bright gray eyes. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the two people standing on her front step. "umm, can I help you?" she asked.

"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, and this is Harry Potter. I am looking for a Sarah Rivers?" The young woman shook her head, not recognizing the name.

"I'm sorry, I don't know that name." she started to close the door when Dumbledore produced a muggle photo and handed it to her. The girl stared at the picture for a while before opening the door to let them inside silently.

"Where did you get this?" she asked breathlessly. Still staring at the photo.

"I knew her once, she was a student of mine." Dumbledore explained. "Her name when I taught her was Sarah Rivers. Do you know her by another name?"

"Yes. This is my mother, Karen West; she died when I was six. I got put in the foster system because no one knew who my biological father was. I decided to take my mother's name when I turned eighteen." She shook her head and sat down. "I only have one picture of her, and that was when I was first born." She pointed to a picture on the wall across from the chair she was sitting on.

Dumbledore walked over to the picture and studied it for a moment. The look on the woman's face was a mixture of fear, happiness, and sadness. Barely visible on her left arm was what looked like a tattoo.

"Do you remember her at all?" Dumbledore asked after a moment.

"Bits and pieces. We were always moving, that I remember. One day she told me to run and hide in a train station, and she never came for me. The police found her body a couple of miles from the train station. The report said that she was beaten and apparently died of heart failure. I am sorry, I am being a terrible host. Can I get you a drink?" she asked smiling.

"Tea?" Dumbledore asked. She nodded and looked at Harry who also asked for tea.

"Please make yourself at home." She said as she walked to the kitchen.

"Sir, who is this woman?" Harry asked quietly.

"Her mother was one of my best double agents during the war. She saved The Weasleys as well as Sirius and Professor Lupin with her information. On the Death Eater's side, she was one of the most loyal, on our side she was one of the most valuable. The night she went into hiding, she managed to inject Voldemort with a poison that should have killed him in three days. Even though the poison nearly did its job, he managed to find and antidote in the nick of time. That poison left him weak for years, although no one else knew about his weakness outside of the order." Dumbledore finished explaining as the woman walked back in with a tray, a pot of tea and three cups along with a container of cream and one of sugar.

"I wasn't sure how you liked your tea, English and all." She said with a sheepish smile. "I am Danica West, by the way. Everyone just calls me Dani though." She reached out and shook her guests' hands.

"Miss West, I must ask you a few questions about your mother. If you don't mind?" Dani poured the tea and shook her head.

"I don't remember much, but I will try to answer what I can."

"Did you mother ever give you instructions, something you had to do or someone you had to find in case of emergencies?" Dani looked thoughtful for a moment.

"She gave me a name, Borbin or something, she told me to find him if I ever thought I was being followed or attacked. She also gave me a key." She reached into the front of her tee shirt and pulled out a little gold key on a necklace. "She said it was for the goblins or something strange like that." She looked to Dumbledore for clarification.

"Very good! Borbin is a man I know, and I can take you to the bank that your key will work." He said suddenly, sounding very excited. "But there are a few things I must tell you." Dumbledore went on to explain the wizarding world, and who Voldemort was, and who her mother was and what she did. Dani seemed to take it all with a grain of salt, asking questions that Dumbledore and Harry would answer. It took a few spells to convince Dani that the two people in front of her weren't a couple of loonies, and another hour of convincing to get her to come back with them to London.

"Let me get this straight, you are both wizards, my mother was a witch and there is a bank protected by goblins to which I have a key and you want me to fly to London to meet some Order with the intentions of stopping an evil mass murder…" she stared at them for clarification.

"Well that about sums it up nicely." Harry said with a small smile.

"I need a drink." She said with a laugh of disbelief, but finally agreed to go with them.

At the age of six, Danica West lost her mother, her home, and her safety. For years she had always been told to look over her shoulder and around every corner. After her mother died, she was placed in foster home after foster home, never staying in one place long enough to call it home. Others tended to avoid her, and think that she was strange. Even though she grew up around people who were always cruel towards her, she developed a positive outlook. She never stooped to their level and often went out of her way to do good for others. Her mother had left her a small fortune and when she turned eighteen she was able to claim it and buy herself a house. Her neighbors were pleasant enough, and the old lady across the road often brought her home made cookies and pies. When a tall old man and a teenage kid came to her door, part of her wasn't surprised with their stories. She always knew there was something that she was missing, and perhaps by going with them, she would finally find out who she was and where she came from.

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They arrived in London the same way they left, all three taking a dose of polyjuice potion. Dani was terrified at first when they all changed into totally different looking people, but relaxed once she learned the effect wasn't permanent. She was transformed into a middle aged woman, who was supposed to be John McNall's mother.

"This is beyond weird, you know that right?" she said through her teeth while on the plane. Thankfully with her, Dumbledore and Harry didn't have to work so hard at the fake Texan accent. "Why did you pick a family from Texas when you were going to Ohio and then back to London?" Dani asked Dumbledore as the plane was circling the runway.

"It seemed like the easiest American accent to fake." He said with a shrug. She rolled her eyes and took a look at the UK for the first time. This is where her mother was born and grew up, and probably her father as well.

They left the airport with only Dani's luggage in tow. It was now Christmas eve and Harry was happy to be home.

"So where will I be staying?" Dani asked softly.

"It is all being arranged as we speak." Dumbledore replied with a smile, still in the guise of a teenager. When they reached Grimmauld place, their disguises were beginning to wear off. Mad-Eye Moody was the first to meet them at the door, checking to make sure they were who they say they were. Dani was ushered into a large sitting room where several people were sitting and talking. All conversation stopped as they entered the room.

"I don't still look like an old hag do I?" she whispered to Harry who laughed and assured her that she was back to normal.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce Miss Danica West. She will be helping us in our never tiring battle against evil." He smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder at his introduction. She cocked an eyebrow at said introduction but gave a sheepish smile and a small wave to the occupants in the room.

"Are you hungry dear? You must all be famished! Let me fix something up for you three." Molly was the first to come forward, giving Harry a quick hug and shaking Dani's hand. "I am Molly Weasley, and this is my husband Arthur and our children Bill, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. There are two others but they can't be with us today." Molly's eyes clouded up slightly with the brief indirect mention of Percy.

"Nice to meet you." She said with a smile. "You don't have to bother with making me anything Mrs. Weasley." She said politely, but on the inside she was starving.

"Nonsense! I will just be a moment." She hurried off into the kitchen. The others were still staring at the new girl, as if trying to read her thoughts.

"I am Hermione Granger." A young girl around Harry's age came up and introduced, shaking her hand.

"So, you're an American?" a dark haired, tattooed man in the corner asked lightly. Upon her nodding yes, he introduced himself as Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. He then introduced his brown haired friend sitting at his left as Remus Lupin.

"So, what happens next?" she looked to Dumbledore questioningly, but found that he had disappeared during introductions. "Umm.." she turned to Harry who shrugged his shoulders and then the Sirius.

"You will be staying here until Dumbledore finishes his preparations. How old did you say you were?" he winked lecherously at her.

"I didn't." she said shortly with a sweet smile. "I really don't want to impose, it is Christmas." She protested.

"You will stay put." The scared figure by the door announced. This was the one they kept calling 'Mad-Eye'. "Dumbledore reckons you are of value, and we are to make sure you stay safe." The way he finished his last statement left no room for arguments and she was happy to be called into the kitchen for some dinner.

"So Danica, where are you from?" Molly Weasley asked as she set a plate down in front of Dani and then one in front of Harry. The others were creeping around corners and trying to snoop without being obvious about it.

"All over I suppose. Mom had me moving around a lot when I was a kid, then when she died I moved all over to different foster homes. I ended up in Ohio though." She started digging into the delicious food in front of her.

"Oh my, that is so sad. What happened to your father? If you don't mind me asking of course." Molly sat across from her in full mom-mode.

"Never knew him. Mom never even told me his name, the closest thing she would say was that I looked a lot like him, but thankfully didn't have his temperament."

"So you were an orphan, I am so sorry dear."

"Its okay, I learned a lot being on my own. The world is a strange and mean place until you learn to be a part of it. I finished high school, even though I went to about nine different ones. I even started taking college courses."

"You're a muggle?" Sirius asked from the doorway, his face clearly puzzled.

"If you mean, I don't carry a magic wand and ride a broomstick then yes I am a muggle." She said with a small laugh.

"Who was your mother?" Mad-Eye asked, now joining the conversation. Feeling a little strange, she swallowed hard before replying; "Sarah Rivers."

There was a string of gasps and whispered excitement. It was apparent that many of the people in the room knew who her mother was.

"Great, a whole room of people know more about my mother than I do." She sighed and continued to eat her food.

"How can a witch like Sarah Rivers give birth to a non-magical child?" Remus asked no one in particular.

"Well its obvious isn't it?!" Mad-Eye roared above the crowd, effectively silencing them. No one ever found Sarah Rivers because she never used magic after the war ended; there was no way to track her if she didn't use a wand. She must have had the child bound as soon as she was born to prevent the ministry from gaining a lock on them."

"You can bind a child's magic?" Hermione asked quietly, sounding appalled at the idea.

"Not forever of course, and it is extremely dangerous for the child and everyone around them." Remus answered, causing everyone to take a step back from the table unconsciously.

"I am not going to explode or anything." Dani narrowed her eyes, not particularly liking the direction the conversation was going.

"You might." Mad-Eye grunted as he headed for the living room to think more on the subject.

"Of course you aren't going to explode dear!" Molly interjected, giving a nasty look at Mad-Eye as he left the room.

"Well then, since everyone knew my mom and seems to know why I am not wearing a pointy hat, perhaps it would be okay if I could catch some Z's." Dani said politely as she could. When everyone still stared at her blankly she clarified her intentions with the universal head on the hands to indicate head on a pillow.

"Oh of course, you will be sharing a room with Hermione and Ginny. I hope you don't mind." Molly got up quickly and asked the girls to grab a bag for her.

"I don't mind at all, thank you Mrs. Weasley." She said with her best polite smile.

As soon as she was settled into her bed she was out like a light. She had rather strange dreams about exploding though.


End file.
